Evaluating Dalton’s evidence
In the global politics, Dalton Russell proves that the votes of the youth play an important role in leadership. For instance, Obama relied on the youth vote to ascend to power, which also gave him some prestige. Many people in the world, including the US believed that youths could not take center stage during elections since they were frequently accused of neglecting their political rights come general elections.
The Obama case proved critics wrong since Obama was majorly supported by the American youths, irrespective of ethnicity, race and skin color. Dalton focuses on the 2008 American general elections whereby the state made history by electing a black president. In the book, Russell provides some of the important discussions that can help the reader understand the role of youths in the modern politics. In the book, Russell tries to answer some questions such as the promises that Obama made to the youths prior to his election.
For instance, were his promises valid since up to date, some are still unaccomplished? Before Obama’s was elected as the American head of state, he had appealed to the government to look into the problems affecting young Americans and come up with intervention policies and mechanisms that would better the lives of the young generation. Consequently, Russell argues that this gave Obama a political mileage that enabled him to trounce his Republic opponent.
As a consequent, Russell claims that this has a long implication to the politics of the US since youths are now empowered. In other words, youths know that they have the power to turn things around the table politically. Dalton shows that youths are slowly but surely taking over political responsibilities that were previously reserved for the old in society.
An example covered by a newspaper or magazine about the kinds of civic activities young people undertake
According to the Center of Civic Education magazine, civic activity among the young people is perceived as the responsibility of a young citizen towards his or her state. In other words, it consists of those behaviors, actions and attitudes correlated to the egalitarian governance and social involvement in societal activities.
Among the youths, the magazine states that it may include participation in church activities, participation in government projects, volunteering in major development plans and advocating for change in terms of politics, economic issues and environmental issues. It can be observed that civil responsibility among the youths is an important aspect when it comes to fostering democracy and benevolence in society.
When the youths engage in civil responsibility, they make sure that they uphold the tenets of democracy, which are found in the American constitution, especially in the Bill of Rights. Such principles may include impartiality, liberty, egalitarianism, diversity, power, confidentiality, due process, property ownership, legitimacy, involvement, loyalty, human right, patience, communal assistance, self-control and self-esteem.
In the magazine, it is reported that institutions of high learning instill the values of civil responsibility to students with the aim of making them to be good citizens and be active members of society. This is very important as far as communal and governmental development is concerned.
Apart from enhancing governance, the magazine claims that teaching civil courses in institutions of learning enhances philanthropy. Non-profit organizations benefit from the youths exercising their civil responsibilities because such organizations are able to serve many people in society experiencing various problems.
Organizations such as Youth Service America and Points of Light Foundation have benefited from civic responsibility since they have been in position to offer quality services to clients. In the US, the youths have been able to learn their civil responsibilities through many ways.
One of them is through service learning whereby the young people are taken through a certain process that would help them acquire important skills needed in offering vital services to the community. Through this process, the young people come to the realization that their services are very important to the society.
This would motivate them to be responsible citizens who would wish to fulfill their roles in society such as voting peacefully. Another way through which the young people come to know their responsibilities is through volunteering. The youth is encouraged to offer their professional services to organizations or state agencies without pay.
Through volunteering, the young people are able to share experiences with the most experienced in particular fields. According to the center of civic education magazine, civil education is another way that the youths can obtain skills that would make them responsible citizens in society. All the three forms that would allow the youth acquire skills in society are more engaged as opposed to duty-oriented.
Interview of a U.S. citizen
The citizen interviewed believed that the greatest responsibility of the citizen was to pay taxes to the government and elect good leaders that would take care of the collected taxes. Indeed, the citizen interviewed valued voting since it is the basis of any leadership in society. Elected leaders are always responsive to the demands and wishes of the majority.
Voting is a constitutional right that each person should be allowed to exercise. The citizen is the member of the local based community organization specializing in offering agricultural services to farmers. The citizen is an active member of society since he is always concerned about the Supreme Court rulings and the major motions passed in the congress.
In fact, the citizen claimed that he had a role to play in improving the performance of the city council, the state and the nation. The citizen planned to come with a proposal that would solve the problem related to illegal immigration since it affects the economy of the city, the state and the nation.
Comparison of the Three Views
According to Russell Dalton, the national public surveys reveal that young Americans are changing their perceptions towards citizenship. Youths believe that things have changed greatly in the contemporary world hence leaders should also change their strategies to incorporate the new changes. For instance, institutions of government should be changed to reflect the current diversity. The younger generation is aggressive, tolerant, dynamic and more engaged.
Young people are always against despotic leadership. The magazine shows that youths have been able to transform their attitudes mainly because of civic education and the availability of voluntary services that enable them to interact with other professionals. The level of awareness is confirmed by the interview since the respondent was determined to change things locally and nationally.
Dalton’s conclusions are therefore valid and applicable to the American citizenship since both the interview and the magazine support his conclusions. In other words, it can be concluded that young Americans are no longer ignorant about their rights and freedoms in society. This was proved in 2008, as Dalton could report.